Illuminated Arboretum

Great for families Outdoors
07 - 23 December 2023
From 4.30pm
Standard Tickets from £24

With the greatest regret, we have made the decision to cancel Illuminated Arboretum on Thursday 7, Friday 8, Saturday 9 and Sunday 10 December, due to localised flooding we are currently experiencing onsite. Guests with tickets to attend the event have been contacted via email with further information relating to their booking. We ask that all ticket holders review this communication before making contact via telephone.

Tickets for 11 - 23 December are still available.

Join us for an evening to remember as we light-up the Arboretum after hours and begin the festive season with a kaleidoscope of colour.

Our new mile-long Illuminated Arboretum route will use mesmerising light, colour and sound to bring the fascinating stories of the Arboretum to life in an entirely new way. There will be something to captivate all ages from fun hands-on elements, immersive spaces and areas for personal reflection, including the breathtaking Beacons of Light, that reach into the night sky at the Armed Forces Memorial.

Little girl looks at Illuminated Arboretum Sign

Tickets and Times

Entry to Illuminated Arboretum is every 15 minutes between 4.30pm and 7.30pm. Once you are in the event, please feel free to spend as long as you wish going around the route.

Ticket Prices

Guiding Lights

Flowers of Remembrance, a beautiful indoor garden featuring hundreds of flowers created in partnership with local schools and Archway of Hope, a piece created by social collectives and willow artist Nita Rao, on display in the Remembrance, will lead visitors on their Illuminated journeys.

Along the route you’ll also pass through the Windrush Path of Illumination, a tribute to the Windrush generation, and their significant journey to Britain in 1948. Featuring projections, created by those with lived experience of Windrush journeys, and a soundtrack of newly composed songs by Ken Burton, sung by our associate artists Black Voices and local choirs, this installation will showcase the memories, emotions and experiences of the participants of this project.

Find out more

Food and Drink

We hope you're feeling hungry - we'll be offering a selection of tasty takeaway treats at the Arboretum during our Illuminated Arboretum evenings which will be available to purchase from our Restaurant and concessions on the route.

In the Restaurant...
you'll be able to enjoy fresh pizzas, loaded fries, warming soups, churros, mulled wine, hot drinks, sandwiches and festive cakes and biscuits.

As you explore...
Along the route you'll be able to pick up German style sausages, burgers (and veggie alternatives), sweet treats including waffles, muffins and donuts and warming cups of hot chocolate, spiced cider and mulled wine.

The Coffee Shop will be closed during the event.